For Rutgers football recruits it's a night of fun and games in New York City

Rutgers coach Kyle Flood used a night in New York City on Saturday as the highlight for 11 football recruits on the final weekend they are allowed to take official visits.Frank H. Conlon/For The Star-Ledger

NEW YORK – The prizes they were playing for, because of time constraints, were standard boardwalk arcade items. Stuffed animals, candy, inflatable toys, miniature footballs.

But put a group of competitive people in a setting like Dave and Busters in mid-town Manhattan, as Rutgers did Saturday night on the final football recruiting weekend of the season, and the intensity gets ratcheted up well beyond the value of the prizes.

That’s why Nick Arcidiacono, a defensive line prospect from Pennsylvania who has already committed to play for the Scarlet Knights, was working one of the hundreds of arcade games furiously, imploring the machine to continue to spit out tickets.

Those tickets can be redeemed for prizes in the Winner’s Circle, a small shop filled with items ranging from candy to electronics.

For all of his efforts during a nearly two-hour stay, Arcidiacono wound up getting an inflatable shark head float designed for a kiddie swimming pool.

“Your competitive side takes over in a place like this. It really doesn’t matter what you’re playing for,” said junior linebacker Kevin Snyder, one of 11 host players for the 11 recruits taking their official visit with Rutgers this weekend.

That aspect of recruiting now screeches to a halt with national letter of intent signing day on Wednesday.

But for the final weekend that official visits were permitted, Rutgers coach Kyle Flood and his staff were able to put on one last splash with a day in New York City for 11 recruits and their families.

Six of those recruits -- T.J. Taylor of South Brunswick, Arcidiacono, Eric Wiafe of Egg Harbor Township, Justin Goodwin of Madison, Bryant Gross of Plantation, Fla. and Josh Klecko of Red Bank – had already given Rutgers verbal pledges. All are expected to make their commitments official on Wednesday.

But for others, like defensive end Ade Aruna of LaPorte, Ind. it was a chance just to make sure – he has committed to Tulane – and, of course, to see the Big Apple.

“For the guys who have never seen New York City it’s a big deal,” senior tight end Paul Carrezola said. “You get to do that and you get to have some fun.”

While the players explored Dave and Busters, with a full buffet set up for them and replays of the Arkansas-Rutgers game scattered throughout the restaurant and arcade area, Flood dined with the recruits’ families at the nearby Capital Grille.

In addition to one host (a current player) for every recruit, tight ends coach Darnell Dinkins, director of football recruiting Tariq Ahmad, strength and conditioning coaches Jeremy Cole and Eddie Grayer and all four graduate assistant coaches kept tabs on the recruits and host players at Dave and Busters.

But once each player purchased his own game playing card – required by NCAA rules – they basically had the run of the place.

“It’s a lot of fun,” said Snyder. “But for the most part guys don’t play a lot of the arcade ticket games. They like the basketball shooting, the (marksman) shooting games, the things you don’t get tickets for.”

But not everyone. Sophomore wide receiver Leonte Carroo “won” a stuffed animal for his sister and a couple of inflatable footballs. Carrezola walked out with a banana phone.

Before Dave and Busters, the players were treated to a tour of Times Square, one of the highlights of a weekend that includes a visiting the campus and the facilities and academic interviews on Friday.

“Mostly guys want to know what it’s like. How are the practices? What are the workouts like? How is the conditioning program?” said Snyder. “You tell them straight up: It’s difficult but it’s fun. And it’s worth it.”